Second Street update: Closure west of Avenue DSNOHOMISH – City officials are gauging what’s next for the heavily-driven Second Street traffic corridor.
Here’s what will be going on and why:
Second Street road closure west of Avenue D
Part of Second Street, from Avenue E to Avenue H, will be closed from July 28 through mid-August for the construction of the Second Street combined sewer pipes separation project. Traffic will be detoured to First Street and Third Street.
This is a popular traffic corridor for commuters coming to Second Street from state Route 9.
Thomco Construction has been contracted by the city to do the project.
“This project consists of the installation of approximately 1,000 feet of 18-inch storm pipe, catch basin structures, and road and shoulder restoration,” city engineer Yoshihiro Monzaki said in an email. “The pipe trench will be approximately 13 feet deep and within the Second Street roadway in some sections. This project will allow the city to separate the storm water flows from the sewer system in the future which will decrease the flows that are treated at the city wastewater treatment plant. Closing Second Street will allow the construction of this project to be completed sooner and provide public safety.”
Second Street overlay in September:
After the storm water pipe project is completed, Second Street from Avenue D to Avenue H will be overlaid with new asphalt in a separate project that is tentatively scheduled for September.
“The reason we’re doing that now is because we received a state grant to do a pavement overlay from Avenue H to Avenue D,” city public works director Steve Schuller said. “That will happen this September.”
The city received a $298,000 grant from the state Transportation Improvement Board. The city will be matching $52,000 from its own Transportation Benefit District funding for the project totaling approximately $350,000.
Synchronized stoplights along Second Street:
The stoplights at the intersections of Pine, Maple and Lincoln are now synchronized, according to city officials. The stoplights’ purpose is to help alleviate the large traffic flow that passes through the city each day.
“The good news is that the economy is growing,” Schuller said.
The growth in the economy since the Great Recession is a direct contribution to the increase in traffic, such as commuter traffic and delivery trucks, Schuller said.
“More and more volume is coming up here,” he said. “We want to serve local businesses, local drivers as well as commuter just passing through. So the priority movement is for Second Street, that is still true and the traffic lights are coordinated and talk to each other.”
Part of the city’s approach to balance out the traffic on Second Street with the three stoplights that see the most traffic is switching traffic coordinators.
In late spring, the city switched from using the state Department of Transportation to Snohomish County’s traffic division to run the city’s traffic lights.
“Snohomish County Public Works Traffic Division helps a number of cities in the county,” Schuller said. “The city will be focusing on adjusting that synchronization, finding out the best balance. Some days it’s adjusting for more priority for commuters and some days you may pull up and it recognizes you and moves you faster.”
Schuller attributed the improvements made to state Route 9 and the increased traffic travel times over the last year to and from Everett as part of the volume increase locally.